A long-range early-warning radar system that the air force is to buy from the US is scheduled to become operational in five years, defense sources said yesterday. The system will be capable of detecting both the ballistic missiles and cruise missiles that China might use in an attack on Taiwan.
The early-warning radar is designed to provide sufficient time for the military to prepare for missile attacks from China, whether of the ballistic or cruise missile type. It would serve as the eyes for the Patriot PAC-3 anti-missile system that the army is to buy from the US.
In a recent closed-door briefing for legislators on the Legislative Yuan's National Defense Committee, the air force expressed optimism about the benefits of the much-anticipated early-warning radar. But one of the legislators who attended the briefing said that if he were a military leader, he would not be so optimistic.
The legislator, who declined to be identified because an agreement with the military prevents him from disclosing the contents of the briefing, said the early-warning radar would be effective only for a short time since it could not detect all of the ballistic and cruise missiles in China's inventory.
"But even considering the limited capabilities of the early-warning radar that the US is to sell us, the system is still necessary for us to defend against missile threats from China," the legislator said.
The air force has not made public what kind of early-warning radar it plans to buy from the US, but two types have been reported to be under consideration. One is the PAVEPAW system, made by Raytheon, and the other is a modified version of Lockheed Martin's SPY-1 radar, which is currently under development. SPY-1 is a radar system for AEGIS-class ships.
The PAVEPAW has a range of 3,000km while the modified version of the SPY-1 has a much shorter range.
A defense official said that a longer-range radar system like the PAVEPAW is much more desirable than a shorter-range, one but that shorter-range systems achieve greater accuracy.
The air force initially planned to buy two sets of long-range early-warning radar but now plans to buy only one because of budget constraints.
The cost of buying two sets of radar has been estimated at about NT$30 billion (US$909 million).
Two deployment sites were chosen over three years ago for the two early-warning radars. One site is in northern Hsinchu County and the other in southern Pingtung County. As the planned purchase has been reduced from two sets to one, the Pingtung site has been abandoned in favor of the one in Hsinchu.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Kao Chung-yuan (
"We must try to establish satellite links for the anti-missile defense system that is to be comprised of long-range early-warning radar and missile defense systems such as the PAC-III. We do not see the possibility of acquiring such vital satellite links any time soon," Kao said.
A drunk woman was sexually assaulted inside a crowded concourse of Taipei Railway Station on Thursday last week before a foreign tourist notified police, leading to calls for better education on bystander intervention and review of security infrastructure. The man, surnamed Chiu (邱), was taken into custody on charges of sexual assault, taking advantage of the woman’s condition and public indecency. Police discovered that Chiu was a fugitive with prior convictions for vehicle theft. He has been taken into custody and is to complete his unserved six-month sentence, police said. On Thursday last week, Chiu was seen wearing a white
The Taoyuan Flight Attendants’ Union yesterday vowed to protest at the EVA Air Marathon on Sunday next week should EVA Airway Corp’s management continue to ignore the union’s petition to change rules on employees’ leave of absence system, after a flight attendant reportedly died after working on a long-haul flight while ill. The case has generated public discussion over whether taking personal or sick leave should affect a worker’s performance review. Several union members yesterday protested at the Legislative Yuan, holding white flowers and placards, while shouting: “Life is priceless; requesting leave is not a crime.” “The union is scheduled to meet with
‘UNITED FRONT’ RHETORIC: China’s TAO also plans to hold weekly, instead of biweekly, news conferences because it wants to control the cross-strait discourse, an expert said China’s plan to expand its single-entry visa-on-arrival service to Taiwanese would be of limited interest to Taiwanese and is a feeble attempt by Chinese administrators to demonstrate that they are doing something, the Mainland Affairs Council said yesterday. China’s Taiwan Affairs Office (TAO) spokesman Chen Binhua (陳斌華) said the program aims to facilitate travel to China for Taiwanese compatriots, regardless of whether they are arriving via direct flights or are entering mainland China through Hong Kong, Macau or other countries, and they would be able to apply for a single-entry visa-on-arrival at all eligible entry points in China. The policy aims
COUNTERMEASURE: Taiwan was to implement controls for 47 tech products bound for South Africa after the latter downgraded and renamed Taipei’s ‘de facto’ offices The Ministry of Foreign Affairs is still reviewing a new agreement proposed by the South African government last month to regulate the status of reciprocal representative offices, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. Asked about the latest developments in a year-long controversy over Taiwan’s de facto representative office in South Africa, Lin during a legislative session said that the ministry was consulting with legal experts on the proposed new agreement. While the new proposal offers Taiwan greater flexibility, the ministry does not find it acceptable, Lin said without elaborating. The ministry is still open to resuming retaliatory measures against South
RSS